Ecole Du Ciel: Winter Engagements
by Sir Geroff of the Wind
Summary: As peace is finally about to rest among the Earth Federation and it's colonies, a secret war explodes on the doorstep of Earth Federation's Eastern Conglomerate Research Base. Follow a cast of influential, and different characters that decide its fate.
1. Amongst the Stars

Author's Note: This story is a side story to the newly released Gundam manga called Ecole Du Ciel. Have fun reading it! please R & R (read and review)!

* * *

21 Dec. UC 0085; 0400 hrs

_Orbiting around Earth, aboard:_

PZS Musai-Class _Garma's Fist_

Major Hach Dogens glared at the full-sized hologram of Admiral Tomo that stood not far in front of him. His right hand lay on the handle of his holstered 45mm pistol, as if ready to shoot the computer visualized version of the leader of fleet Ashron at any moment.

"Damn it Tomo! Do you not understand that we must launch now?"

The human-sized visual's nostrils flared, but the face remained the same; bloodshot eyes, along with the same cold grim smile that the Tomo Ieyasu always wore.

"Well from what I understand from the reports of our analysts, Hachy,' the fleet head used the major's hated nickname, 'is that if we delay the movements of our fleet substantially for the remainder of the next 3 hrs we'll be able to sneak up on the Feds much easier. So it's to our advantage if we do so, Major."

The major smashed his fist down onto the control panel in front of him, to emphasize his next point.

"I don't care, what those damned pencil-pushers say, admiral! For all we know they could be plotting our initiation for damnation, so I'm still pushing with launching now."

The admiral's wrinkled face turned sour, his flat nose wrinkled up, "well since we can not agree, I'm leaving the operations to you Hachy, feel free to do what you want then. Let's just hope though that this doesn't turn into another Jaburo screw-up, like the beginning of the last war. Tomo out!"

As the visual faded, Hach shifted his Zeonic white helmet in place, more over the crown of his head, then he pulled his gloves on tighter, making sure there was no air between his fingers. Then slowly the major sighed, and shook his head.

"Ahhh...victory at long last, that old braggart just doesn't understand this mission, and the rewards that the principality will gain with it's success."

* * *

21 Dec. UC 0085; 0430 hrs 

_In the Atmosphere of Earth's eastern hemisphere_

Eto Shinwa, gazed out the plasti-glass window to his side. He lay enthralled in the beauty of the Earth from space. The great spherical shape, reminded him of a circular piece of canvas, covered in numerous colors, all different, but similar in their own way. He smiled, remembering his first colony shuttle flight to Earth as a child from Side 3. Riding through the myriad of stars around him, toward mankind's home. Steadily he closed his eyes relaxing into the moment.

_Home..._

"BUEEEEEPPPPPPPPP!"

An enormous alert sound erupted from his side sensor speakers. Hurriedly, he opened his eyes and turned his head toward his frontal control board interface. Numerous explosions roared outside his mobile suit. Speedily he gazed at the side and frontal visual interfaces, of his cockpit.

A brief static sound emitted from his frontal interface, before the face of a clean-shaven young man appeared on it.

"Ensign Eto, ETA of squad A-51 hitting planet side will be in 10.45 minutes. Prepare to engage your vernier thrusters, and disengage all, I repeat disengage all atmospheric thrusters soon."

With those last words, the computer image faded back into the static, leaving Shinwa to wonder how his fellow squad mates were doing with their own preparations for Operation AB-LE.

_Huh..It should be starting soon..._

Abruptly the Zaku's cockpit shook slightly, Eto just ignored the motions, thinking it was part of atmospheric entrance. But the rocking continued and eventually became so great, that Shinwa was thrown forward into his frontal vid display.

"Whoa! What the hell,' quickly Shinwa's left hand tapped the vid screen for the information on his outward sensors, while his other hand tried to keep him upright, 'What! No, this isn't possible, it can't of started this soon."

Suddenly Shinwa's Zaku shook, and trembled as hundreds upon hundreds of Federation E-S Beam cannons erupted and decimated large numbers of Zeon fleet Ashron from the black void of space. His own Zaku was lucky enough to be out of the range of most of the particle explosions, and instead was busy breaking through the Earth's atmosphere, as it's vernier thrusters turned off.

Eventually the Zeonic mobile suit broke through the stratosphere along with it's fellow squadron mates. And then it continued through the troposphere in sight of the rocky and barren snow-covered Earth below it.

At the same time Eto used one finger to flick the switch on his side panel for full squadron com-channel usage.

"Commander Lucrezia we'll be hitting the surface in 12.89 minutes. What would you have us do for this mission sir?"

Shinwa smirked in pure delight imagining the red, and pouting face of Bates Lucrezia his flight commander, as the man heard his purely rhetorical question. For a few short seconds it seemed as if Lucrezia had just gotten to pissed to answer his subordinate, but within another few seconds, the squadron com-channel erupted into pure hell.

"YOU FOOL! Ensign Eto is that you? Do as we were told in the mission briefing unless you're even more stupid then I thought you were and either didn't bother to LISTEN,' the commander put much enthusiasm in that specific word, 'OR already FORGOT every single thing Admiral Tomo assigned us! Damn it, Shinwa don't joke with me."

Instead of yelling back, or getting angry, the ensign just smirked, and let out a little chuckle before switching the com-channel off.

A low echo of, "_I heard that!_" filled the com-channel speakers once more interrupting the brief silence. Shinwa chuckled slightly, in response, than smiled and turned his vernier thrusters back on as his Zaku neared the operation landing site.

Below him, the huge menacing mountain peaks of Siberia's outskirts grew bigger, as the A-4 Recon Squadron dropped closer to the ground. All around huge fir branch pines, towered over the ground, dripping with icy dew, and snow. As the squad slowly stopped to a speed close to flotation, and then stopped on the ground, a small tremor from the weight of the mobile suits caused the trees to shake lightly, dropping snow on several of the automatons.

"This is Commander Lucrezia, you grunts. We are to spread out, explore, and prepare for the full operation landing. Sub-squad Alpha, take the side near that lake over there,' Lucrezia's Dom pointed with one of it's gigantic metal fingers to a distant lake, just over the nearby hills, 'and Sub-squad Beta, saddle up and follow me, we're going Fed hunting." The commander snarled, and his Dom began it's movement in the direction opposite of the lake.

Hastily the squad members withdrew their weapons from their mobile suit packs, behind them. Zaku's pulled out 120mm machine guns with their flat disc-type cartridges, and Doms' withdrew their 280mm bazookas for cover fire, and long range shooting.

Shinwa's eyes stared out of his combat helmet, trained on his frontal view screen, while his hands and feet moved the controls with ease, as if he was in a simulation program back at the academy.

For well over an hour the scarce forest life, scattered at the mere sound of the Zeon recon squad, until suddenly a huge burst of fire opened up somewhere far in the distance, in the direction of the lake.

The squad com-channel suddenly opened with a loud static-filled click.

"AHHHHHH! SHIT! BACK UP NEEDED NOW! SUB-SQUAD ALPHA UNDER FIRE! WE'RE BEING MASSACRED!"

The transmission just stopped, straight after the last word, the com-channel itself just turned off with a small click.


	2. Tranquility to the North

Author's Note: This next chapter just offers more of a glimpse at the normal circumstances that Earth remains in, unaware of the coming hostilities.

* * *

21 Dec 0085; 0445 hrs

_On the surface of Earth:_

_Inside the Ecole De Feu grounds, approximately 12 miles from the Eastern Conglomerate Research Base_

Malleri Deverson broke out into a light cold sweat, as her mock cockpit, jolted back and forth trying to reenact how a shaking mobile suit felt. Quickly she tried to do a roundabout on the Zaku that filled her frontal vid-screen, while at the same time her right hand pressed the small green button on the side of her keyboard, in order to unleash a torrent of light machine gun fire from her head vulcan cannons.

Instead of remaining stationary, and letting Malleri go in for the kill, the computerized Zeonic pilot, slid to her left, turned towards her GM Sniper, and slashed at her open left side with it's heat tomahawk.

She let out a grunt, as her combat seat shook again, trembling to an even greater extent than before, when her virtual GM's arm was torn from it's socket, and dropped to the ground next to her. Instead of surrendering or running as most Federation pilots were trained to do, Malleri held her position and countered by shoving the Zeonic mobile suit with as much force as she could.

Still coming up from it's attack, and unable to balance very well, the Zaku II immediately hit the ground, sending great hurricanes of dust, and small debris in all directions. While the debris flew everywhere, several large chunks from the nearby buildings also landed onto the mobile suit, living tiny minuscule scratches on it's surface. As the Zaku had fallen, it's heat tomahawk had been thrown several hundred meters away, giving the federation mobile suit an even greater advantage over it.

Looking to finish off the prey as fast as possible, Ms. Deverson's GM strode quickly, yet noisily beside the head of the stopped enemy mobile suit. Then suddenly without warning her GM Sniper's left leg came up, and then thrust downward and crushed the Central Module Unit located within the Zaku's head, along with it's most identifiable piece of hardware.

Malleri let out a great sigh, as the FCS's lights turned off completely, and the hatch to the compartment opened up to her side. Slowly she pushed her hand against the arm rest of her seat, and strode out, down the ramp into the massive crowd of fellow Federation trainee's waiting outside.

Outside the wide, encompassing colorful lights positioned on the simulator building's roof, cast great paths of light, amidst the enveloping shadows of darkness. The masses of people outside lay chatting away beside several tables laden with various petit foods, and drinks in celebration of the night's simulator finals finishing.

"WOO HOO! NICE KILL, MALLERI!" Called a somewhat distant voice.

Malleri gazed around, quite dazed from the lighting of the outside world in comparison to the packed steel chamber she had just resided in. She didn't know where the voice had come from, but for some reason she blushed when she heard it. Instead of finding the owner of the mysterious voice, she managed to find Daryl Kim, a friend of her's from the colonies, waiting for her along with some of her other friends, and a stranger.

As Malleri walked up to the group, Daryl, her other friends, and the stranger greeted her. For a minute she studied the individual, as Daryl proceeded to introduce the man to her. The stranger was a man definitely older then Malleri, and her fellow trainees, also that he actually wore the official clear white dress uniform of an officer in the Federation Navy. His face held many lines, along with hazel eyes, and short black hair.

"Well,' Daryl said pointing at the stranger, 'this is Lt. Reginald Kerv, he's a member of the TOS for Harlick's Academy a not-so-well known Naval Academy to the north."

The man named Reginald leaned forward, and took Malleri's right hand into his, and kissed her hand. Malleri reeled back in shock, completely disgusted at the Lt.'s actions. Surprised, the older man withdrew his hands slowly, revealing his still calm composure.

Unknown to the Lt., Malleri was unfamiliar, and almost unaware of hand gestures, such as kissing hands. Considering her family had come from the colonies, and been occupying them since the beginning of the colonies. And her education included nothing on "Lady-like" hand gestures, while she was still in her younger years.

Seeing her response, Daryl quickly proceeded to conclude the introduction.

"Well as I was saying, Lt. Kerv here is on an assignment at the Eastern Conglomerate Research Base. He's here to..well let's just say find able pilots in case of any war breaking out between us and our fellow Zeon brethren."

"That was a great show you put on for us, Ms. Deverson. I must say you finished off that Zaku with style. No weapons either. Great job," answered the Lt. breaking his own silence.

"Umm..thanks, Lt. Reginald." Malleri wasn't shy, but she was still a tad bit scared from Reginald's hand gestures.

Thinking that she was tense from the recent battle simulation, Daryl turned to Malleri and handed her a glass of wine, froma nearby table,muttering something about relaxing, and it being ok, to still be a bit not calm after a small show like that.

Turning back to Malleri, Daryl proposed a cheer over her simulator battle.

"Well...how about cheers to your battle Malleri?"

Malleri lifted her glass, and tapped it along with the others. This was something she could actually celebrate considering it was hairs.

Overhead a myriad of gigantic jungle green objects flew in the distance. Then suddenly a multitude of them exploded in flames. So many of them exploded at once that the faculty, and students of Ecole De Feu, thought it was a massive fireworks display done by the nearby research base for unknown reasons.


	3. The Beginning Results

21 Dec. UC 0085; 0845 hours

_Orbiting around Earth, aboard:_

PZS _Garma's Fist' briefing room_

"_Oh my God... shhhhh-zit... is anyone out there! please someone respond! This is Private Wekts of Sub-Squad Delta..krshh zit-zit shhh... I don't know how much more time we've got down here, b-but don't send reinforcements. I repeat don't send backup, the situation is hopeless, the Federation was waiting for us. God damn it.. Krshhh...zitshhzit...they're eliminating us one by one down here, Sub-Squad Alpha, we lost all contact signals with an hour ago...krshhhh-bzz...I-I'm not sure but signals are..zzitttt...still coming from Sub-Squad Beta...krshhh..t-they may be the..krshhhhh-zit-bzzzzzz-zitt.."_

Major Dogens' aide, Second Lt. Wade Price, quickly tapped the switch on a nearby control panel to shut the recording off. He shifted uneasily – his uniform also contributing from it's uniform tightness – at his position behind a row of Fleet Ashrons' officer hierarchy, as he suddenly thought about another Zeon operational failure. He winced thinking about how Admiral Tomo would react.

"That emergency signal was broadcast around three hours ago. And received around two and a half hours ago. It is the last signal from Squad A-51, after their reported 'safe' landing, and early patrol of the premises."

Then his attention immediately switched to Major Hach Dogens who sat one seat to the left of Admiral Tomo. Although the Major only moved about slightly, in his seat, he could tell that his superior was definitely uneasily, and maddened as usual about the current situation.

Abruptly all eyes turned to the head's seat, at the tables end, where Admiral Tomo sat; he had just stood up suddenly, and smashed his fist against the table in a fit of anger. Somewhat glad that he had grabbed the attention of his assembled fleet officers, he strode forward to one side of the holo-projected vid-map, and tacked a crimson red spot with his pointer.

"This..officers is where the reported sub-squad disappeared,'another flick of the wrist to a slightly higher bright green circle, "but this is where we believe sub-squad Beta is, or at least it's remnants. Now if one of the petty fools hadn't pushed for us to launch early we might not of had such substantial losses in the operation's forces."

Admiral Tomo glared at the Major.

Dogens moved uneasily in his seat a second time.

Turning back to the visual display, Tomo moved his steel pointer a tad bit to the west of the green circle, where it stopped at a small dispersed group of navy blue spots, in the mountains.

"Now this,' Tomo's voice turned stone cold, "Is where squadrons B-102, B-45, and all the rest of the A squadrons will be dropping. We've chosen the mountains for the best possible camouflage from any Federation recon detachments, and considering the heavier snow fall there, it will be harder for all possible E-S Beam Cannon fire, or automated AA Cannon fire to aim, minimalizing casualties. But,' it got colder, "as I said, if one of the incompetents hadn't bulldozed forward for quicker action, then maybe we would've been able to locate a better drop point for the last mission. And **maybe, **we wouldn't be discussing emergency plans to save the **mission**."

Another obvious glare at Major Dogens.

"Klang!" The ring of a dropped steel chair rang shrilly in the briefing room.

Every officer present in the room shifted their gaze toward a clearly disgruntled Major, as the Zeon veteran rushed to his feet and threw his gray helmet against the polished oak table. The Commander of Tactical Operations from the PZS _Dozle's Prize_, on his left quickly shifted his chair away from the angry major. While, the Chief of Command of Mobile Units from the PZS _Gihren's Pride_, hurriedly sidled away in his chair in the opposite direction, all the while fiddling with the steel buttons on his dress uniform.

"I don't give a SHIT what you think Tomo! If you had any sense in that thick skull of yours you'd realize that they were waiting for us!"

Tomo's face suddenly turned completely crimson, and what little restrictiveness to his behavior he had broke. His nostrils flared.

"GET the FUCK OUT OF HERE, I will not TOLERATE this insubordination."

He shoved his pointer into Dogens face, who shoved aside, into the face of another officer. In a worse situation then before he pushed his aide, 2nd Lt. Price out of his way, and slammed the reinforced steel door as he withdrew.

Silence seemed to reign in the room for a small period, as Tomo calmed down just enough, and straightened his uniform, and fiddled with his helmet's position. Turning his gaze away from the briefing room's door, he stared back at his insubordinates.

"Well, let us get back to business," he spoke calmly, a smile glinting on his face.


End file.
